The Barbary Figs

By Rashid Boudjedra

Translated by André Naffis-Sahely

Two old friends find themselves side by side on the flight from Algiers to Constantine. There is a lot of history between them, as well as bad blood. They have lived very different lives, even though they are bound by shared experiences from their youth, chief among them the Algerian War of Independence. The flight will last only an hour - an hour during which both their stories will be told, interspersed and peppered by anecdotes about Algeria’s struggle to release itself from the French colonial grip. Rashid, the narrator, has always both admired and resented Omar, his cousin, who has become an architect, studied in Chicago, and led a successful life. Despite his success, Omar has always been on the run from the ghosts of his earlier life, ghosts that Rashid has set himself the task of exorcising. The title, The Barbary Figs, is a symbol of the ‘old’ Algeria since their landowner grandfather once grew them on his estate. The ‘new’ Algeria is less straightforward, and has produced far more bitter fruit.

Rashid Boudjedra is an Algerian novelist. He has routinely been called one of North Africa's leading writers ever since his debut, La Répudiation, was published in 1969, earning the author the first of many fatwas. While he wrote his first six novels in French, Boudjedra switched to Arabic in 1982 and wrote another six novels in the language before returning to French in 1994. His works - including poetry, non-fiction and plays - have been translated into many languages. The Barbary Figs was awarded the Arab Book Prize in 2010.

***

'An important and necessary work... rich, turbulent and reflective' - The Independent

'Through the provocative panorama [of The Barbary Figs,] Rashid Boudjedra, his finger on the pulse of his country's heart and soul, does more than offer us a great novel about Algeria - he gives us a fascinating reflection on the ambiguities of history' - Le Monde

'Rashid Boudjedra is quite possibly the greatest living writer form the Maghreb' - Hafid Gafaïti, Andrew W Mellon Distinguished Professor, Texas Tech University

'No other Algerian writer has been able to occupy such a prominent position in two different camps, French and Arabic' - Farida Abu-Haidar

'Rashid Boudjedra is one of the most interesting and provocative contemporary North African writers today' - Mildred Mortimer, Associate Professor of French and French African Literature at the University of Colorado, Boulder

'Boudjedra is already considered a classic writer' - Amina Azza-Bekkat, Professor at the University of Bilda